Card. Gracias: India can not grow without religious freedom

by Card. Oswald Gracias

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has placed India among the countries where violations of freedom of religion and persecution are growing. The president of the Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) comments on the report: "It is urgent that government agencies, laws and practical actions ensure protection of religious freedom for all, as enshrined in our Constitution."

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - "To discriminate against
religious beliefs, will eventually destabilize society and is detrimental to
the progress of our beloved country." This is the focus of a reflection by
Card. Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai and president of the Bishops'
Conference of India (CBCI), on the latest report by the U.S. Commission on
International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The U.S. organization has added India to level 2 of its ranking among
the countries where violations of religious freedom are
growing and of serious
concern. The Asian
country thus has left the
"Watch List" to join Azerbaijan, Cuba,
Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos and Russia.
Below is Card. Gracias'
comment to AsiaNews.

I
am unhappy that investigations have found India's religious freedom. My immediate concern is that we must take
steps to ensure that the Rights are not infringed upon in any way, that the
minorities are safe guarded to practice, profess and propagate their faith
freely. Right to religious freedom is enshrined in our Constitution. Spirituality
is an intrinsic part of Indian culture and life and it is urgent and essential
that government bodies, the laws and practices
uphold religious freedom.

India
is economically a leading nation, well respected in the international
community, but equally important is our Moral authority in the comity of
nations, and this is possible when our most vulnerable and minorities are
guaranteed the fundamental-international human right of Religious Freedom.

Freedom
of religion and respect for freedom of conscience is arguably the right most intimately
connected to human dignity. No government, no group can enter into the sacred conscience of a person and try to
impose and dominate it etc, it is a regressive rather than progressive. A guarantee of religious freedom supports
other fundamental rights necessary to all human persons; because it is grounded
in the universal dignity of the human person, religious freedom encourages
other related rights.

As
India is gearing up for our next general elections, as President of the
Catholic Bishops' Conference I would
like to caution political parties, not
to exploit religion for political purposes, and to guarantee and ensure our Constitutionally
guaranteed Religious Freedom to each and every citizen especially religious
minorities throughout India. To discriminate
against religious beliefs, or to discredit religious practice, is exclusion
contrary to respect for fundamental human dignity that will eventually
destabilize society by creating a climate of tension, intolerance, opposition,
and suspicion not conducive to social peace and
be detrimental to the progress of our beloved country."